MY LIFE AS A LOGOPHILE
I was reading from a very early age and it was my first passion. When I figured out that I could be a writer too I was penning fantastical tales on my wide-ruled notebook paper in my Trapper Keeper. I would staple the pages together like a book, attempt to draw something relevant on the cover and inked my byline up front and center. Then I would make copies and peddle them for top dollar (free) to whomever was in the living room. I went on to soak up all that language had to offer and I ended up graduating with a degree in English with a concentration in literary theory. Through my school years I felt pulled towards nonfiction writing and away from storytelling. I was just better at narratives, persuasive, analytic and expository writing than I was at creating storylines and characterization. So when I went to college I studied literature and formal writing instead of creative writing. I’d love to confess that I became a writer, journalist or even a writer of jingles for commercials. But that would not be the case. My education was a dual study in two different passions. My writing passion was personal and my career passion (which I make a living with) went in a different - yet somewhat similar - direction. It involves writing on some level - but instead of words it is code. I became a programmer who writes software code. You could think of code as a distant cousin to writing who stops by for dinner on occasion and who plays Words with Friends with me. They both have formal structured expressions of a specific language built on syntax and rules. They are just a different syntax and a different set rules. Code is binary or a more formulaic kind of expression that involves a lot of ugly math. But it too has a lexicon of its own formulated with text that executes logically sequenced actions, events and functions in the same way a narrative or a story does. My writing has words that form sentences that make a point. My code has words that form algorithms that also make a point. I can even illustrate it further by describing code as somewhat poetic in nature. I could write a love poem to my husband with words or with code. When the code is executed and performs an action exactly as I have written it, then it is like magic. So I can take his computer over and then flood it with pictures of hearts and gooey love messages and then clean up his registry so his games work faster. How can that be anything other than a romantic poetic expression? That said, I’m sadly alone in this opinion. It’s interesting, though, to align both my passions together to form a picture of what has turned out to be a great life plan. Write code (get paid) during the day and then indulge my writing at night (but unfortunately completely unpaid). Code has extrinsic rewards and my writing has intrinsic, so it is rewarding to be fueling life with both passions by my side. And I couldn’t have done either without a passionate love for language that borders on obsessive. Words in any format are just beautiful.
READ MY PERSONAL LOGOPHILE JOURNEY - a narrative of a young girl on the literary playground of the English countryside.
On my website here.
JOURNEY WITH WORDS
Most people know what an acronym is or what a synonym is. But what is a glottal stop? Tautology? Onomatopoeia? What about structure - what are the meanings of prefixes like ‘hypo’ or a suffixes such as ‘logue’? What is symbolism in the Elizabethan Age?
Words alone convey basic meaning. Mood is conveyed in the way that words are strung together and understood and pronounced. Words can inspire, teach, clarify, amuse, motivate or persuade. The way we use language - in addition to the particular words we choose - is crucial for effective communications and better understanding. The more robust your vocabulary, the more effective your writing. This makes your message more powerful. Articulate writers have power behind their words; they create, motivate and inspire. They invoke deep emotions in readers. They change people’s thoughts or opinions with persuasive arguments. This is a powerful responsibility. It’s also personal. The way we use language gives insight into who we are. Our personalities, goals, motives, and desires are seen on the pages we write. The study and awareness of linguistics helps us to know why we speak and write in different ways; how general language develops; and how so many words different languages share the same roots and origins. Pretty cool right?
I was reading from a very early age and it was my first passion. When I figured out that I could be a writer too I was penning fantastical tales on my wide-ruled notebook paper in my Trapper Keeper. I would staple the pages together like a book, attempt to draw something relevant on the cover and inked my byline up front and center. Then I would make copies and peddle them for top dollar (free) to whomever was in the living room. I went on to soak up all that language had to offer and I ended up graduating with a degree in English with a concentration in literary theory. Through my school years I felt pulled towards nonfiction writing and away from storytelling. I was just better at narratives, persuasive, analytic and expository writing than I was at creating storylines and characterization. So when I went to college I studied literature and formal writing instead of creative writing. I’d love to confess that I became a writer, journalist or even a writer of jingles for commercials. But that would not be the case. My education was a dual study in two different passions. My writing passion was personal and my career passion (which I make a living with) went in a different - yet somewhat similar - direction. It involves writing on some level - but instead of words it is code. I became a programmer who writes software code. You could think of code as a distant cousin to writing who stops by for dinner on occasion and who plays Words with Friends with me. They both have formal structured expressions of a specific language built on syntax and rules. They are just a different syntax and a different set rules. Code is binary or a more formulaic kind of expression that involves a lot of ugly math. But it too has a lexicon of its own formulated with text that executes logically sequenced actions, events and functions in the same way a narrative or a story does. My writing has words that form sentences that make a point. My code has words that form algorithms that also make a point. I can even illustrate it further by describing code as somewhat poetic in nature. I could write a love poem to my husband with words or with code. When the code is executed and performs an action exactly as I have written it, then it is like magic. So I can take his computer over and then flood it with pictures of hearts and gooey love messages and then clean up his registry so his games work faster. How can that be anything other than a romantic poetic expression? That said, I’m sadly alone in this opinion. It’s interesting, though, to align both my passions together to form a picture of what has turned out to be a great life plan. Write code (get paid) during the day and then indulge my writing at night (but unfortunately completely unpaid). Code has extrinsic rewards and my writing has intrinsic, so it is rewarding to be fueling life with both passions by my side. And I couldn’t have done either without a passionate love for language that borders on obsessive. Words in any format are just beautiful.
READ MY PERSONAL LOGOPHILE JOURNEY - a narrative of a young girl on the literary playground of the English countryside.
On my website here.
JOURNEY WITH WORDS
Most people know what an acronym is or what a synonym is. But what is a glottal stop? Tautology? Onomatopoeia? What about structure - what are the meanings of prefixes like ‘hypo’ or a suffixes such as ‘logue’? What is symbolism in the Elizabethan Age?
Words alone convey basic meaning. Mood is conveyed in the way that words are strung together and understood and pronounced. Words can inspire, teach, clarify, amuse, motivate or persuade. The way we use language - in addition to the particular words we choose - is crucial for effective communications and better understanding. The more robust your vocabulary, the more effective your writing. This makes your message more powerful. Articulate writers have power behind their words; they create, motivate and inspire. They invoke deep emotions in readers. They change people’s thoughts or opinions with persuasive arguments. This is a powerful responsibility. It’s also personal. The way we use language gives insight into who we are. Our personalities, goals, motives, and desires are seen on the pages we write. The study and awareness of linguistics helps us to know why we speak and write in different ways; how general language develops; and how so many words different languages share the same roots and origins. Pretty cool right?